Taste and nutrition company Kerry has produced a webinar entitled “The Business of Alt Protein: Unlocking Food Safety in Plant-based Meat”. It examines clean-label solutions to protect the freshness of plant-based meat products.
According to Kerry, the challenges with preserving plant-based meats have a similar scope to those with animal meats. Consumers are increasingly demanding products free of additives and preservatives, and many companies now claim to deliver this. But this means that new, clean label alternatives are required.
The webinar discusses topics such as why food protection for plant-based products is important, when to build this protection into formulations, and how food protection works. It examines how the taste and quality of plant-based meats can be maintained throughout their shelf life.
Three experts from Food Protection & Preservation at Kerry are featured in the webinar — RD&A Director Jennifer Wasieleski, Technical Business Development Director Renetta Cooper, and Emma Cahill, Strategic Marketing.
Kerry’s shift to plant-based
Kerry was previously best known as a dairy giant, but in recent years it has been increasingly moving into the plant-based sector. It launched Radicle, a global line of plant-based products, in 2019. Since then, it has continued to expand the range due to growing consumer demand, and was last year ranked #5 on the FAIRR list of global companies actively supporting plant-based foods and beverages.
In the UK, the company’s Richmond brand launched award-winning vegan sausages in 2020, before going on to launch meat-free mince and meatballs earlier this year.
“We know the meat-free market is booming but we’re seeing a real opportunity for growth in shoppers who are looking for affordable, delicious meat-free food to slot into family favourites — that they know will result in clean plates all round,” Kerry Foods marketing and category director Victoria Southern told The Grocer.
